Typically, zones can be used to represent the status of the IT infrastructure in a specific geographic location. eG Enterprise allows you to drill down to visually figure out the exact geographic area where a zone operates, and instantly evaluate the performance of the different zones spread across the different locations worldwide. To access the zones map, click on the icon available in the Monitor tab. Then, select the Zones Map option under the Groups tile.

This page then appears indicating the zone locations and their current state.

Note:

If you are using an SSL-enabled eG manager and are using Internet Explorer 8.0 to browse the eG user interface, then any attempt to access zone maps will be followed by a Security Warning message box. Click on the Yes button in the message box to view this page.

To the left of the zone map, you will find a Tree View section displaying a zone tree.

Note:

By default, the Tree View section appears alongside the map view in the eG monitoring console. To hide the tree view by default, do the following:

• Edit the eg_ui.ini file in the {EG_INSTALL_DIR}\manager\config directory.
• Set the zoneMapTree flag in the [ZONE_MAP] section of the file to no (default is yes).
• Save the eg_ui.ini file.

While the map enables you to determine the location and the current state of the zones, using the tree view, you can quickly determine the following:

• The names of the zones for which locations have been explicity defined in the eG administrative interface

• The state of each of these zones

• The names of sub-zones added to a zone, provided the location of the sub-zone has been configured

Note:

This implies that zones for which locations have not been configured will neither appear in the map view, nor in the tree view. If location definitions do no exist for any of the configured zones, then the Map option will not even appear in the Zones menu in the eG monitoring console.

Typically, the parent zones and zones without any sub-zones will form the primary nodes of the tree view. Likewise, the zone map to the right of the tree will also display only the primary zones by default. The ‘+’ sign preceding a zone name in the tree, indicates that the zone consists of one/more sub-zones. To view the sub-zones, expand the node by clicking on the ‘+’ sign.

As stated earlier, by default, the zone map does not indicate the location of ‘sub-zones’. To view the same, simply click on the primary zone (i.e., the parent zone) in the tree view. You will thus be allowed to automatically zoom into the location of the sub-zone that is included in the parent zone that was clicked on. On the other hand, if you click on a zone without any sub-zones in the tree view, then the corresponding Zone Dashboard will appear, providing an overview of the health of that zone.

To know the name of any zone displayed in the map, simply move your mouse pointer over the zone.

Besides updating you with the status of both parent zones and sub-zones, zone maps also enable you to zoom into the problems that are affecting the health of a zone, and swiftly identify the zone components that are responsible for the problem situation. To know the reason for the abnormal state, simply click on a problem zone. A small window will then appear listing the problem components in the zone, and a brief description of the current problems. You can further drill down to the layer model, tests, and measurements of a problem component, by clicking on it. To focus on overall zone performance, click on the Dashboard link in the pop-up window; this will lead you to the Zone Dashboard, which will provide you with an overview of the health of that zone. If the zone clicked on comprises of sub-zones, then, a Subzone Map link is appended to the Dashboard link. Clicking on the Subzone Map link allows you to zoom into the geographic location of the sub-zone that the zone contains and the current state of the sub-zone. This also automatically expands the corresponding zone node in the tree view to display the names of the sub-zones. Clicking on the sub-zone in the tree view leads you to that sub-zone's dashboard, which reveals the overall health of the sub-zone.

Note:

You can switch the tree view on/off using the button that appears next to the page heading, Zone Map.

To enhance the visual appeal of your zone configurations, eG Enterprise offers multiple map views, namely - the normal Map view, a Satellite view, and a Hybrid view. By default, selecting the Map option from the Zones menu invokes the Map view. To switch to a different view, say, the Satellite view, first, click anywhere within the map area; this brings up three new buttons namely, Map, Satellite, and Hybrid. Clicking on the Satellite button in will take you to a satellite view of the world. To obtain a mix of the satellite and map views, opt for the Hybrid view, by clicking on the button with the same name.

Also, upon clicking within the map area, a range of control buttons become visible in the map interface, which will allow you to manipulate your zone view better. Use the arrow buttons to scroll right, left, up, or down, and the ‘+’ and ‘-’ buttons to zoom the map in and out, respectively.

The geographic map display for zones is achieved through an integration of the eG Enterprise management console with the Google maps service. If this integration is not enabled, then an error message appears upon clicking on the Map option in the Zones menu. To enable the integration, follow the steps given below:

• First, you need to sign up to acquire a Google Maps API key. For that, first, go to the URL: http://code.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html.
• Read the terms of usage in the page that appears, and then scroll down until you come to the bottom of the page.
• Accept the terms by selecting the I have read and agree with the terms and conditions check box.
• Then, in the My web site URL text box, specify the IP address or domain within which the integration, once enabled, will need to work. If you want both the administrative and monitor interfaces of eG Enterprise to integrate with the Google Map API, provide the URL to connect to the eG manager in the My web site URL text box. For example, if the eG manager executes on 192.168.10.12:7077, then, your URL specification in the above case will be: http://192.168.10.12:7077/. On the other hand, if you want Google maps to be available only to the admin console, then your specification would be: http://192.168.10.12:7077/final/admin. Similarly, if you want the Google maps to be available only while monitoring the target infrastructure, then the URL would be: http://192.168.10.12:7077/final/monitor.
• Finally, to generate the API key, click on the Generate API Key button in the page. You will then be requested to sign in using the credentials of your Google account.

Note:

A Google acccount is a key pre-requisite for signing up for a Google Map API key.

• Upon successfully signing in, a page appears displaying the Google Map API key. Make a note of the key, and then close the browser.
• Next, edit the eg_ui.ini file in the {EG_INSTALL_DIR}\manager\config directory on the eG manager host.
• Copy the API key that you noted down previously to the Google_map_key parameter in the [ZONE_MAP] section of the file. By default, this parameter is set to ‘none’, indicating that eG integration with Google maps is not enabled by default.
• Finally, save the file.

Note:

By default, once the eG integration with the Google map API is enabled, the zone map interface will become available to all users of eG Enterprise. If you want to hide the map interface, then you can follow the steps given below:

• Edit the eg_ui.ini file in the {EG_INSTALL_DIR}\manager\config directory.
• By default, the mapEnabled parameter in the [ZONE_MAP] section of the eg_ui.ini file is set to yes. To disable/hide maps, set this flag to no; doing so ensures that both the List and Map options do not appear in the ZONES menu; clicking on Zones will automatically take you to the page that lists the configured zones and their state.
• Finally, save the eg_ui.ini file.